MedLion Direct Primary Care Continues Rapid National Expansion

Doctors and Practices Join MedLion in Multiple States

March 26, 2014 06:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the last three months alone, Las Vegas-based MedLion Management,
Inc., a Direct Primary Care provider organization, has signed up
additional physicians and practices in California, Nevada, Arizona,
Colorado, Louisiana, Florida, and Ohio. Privately-owned by Founder and
CEO, Dr. Samir Qamar, MedLion has quickly become the national leader for
Direct Primary Care with over 30 locations in nine states.

Direct Primary Care (DPC), a relatively new industry, makes primary
medical care extremely affordable, leaving insurance needs for
catastrophic events only. Because primary care comprises the majority of
healthcare needs, and insurance use is minimized, the overall cost of
healthcare expense is reduced as a result. Different from fancier
“concierge medical practices,” DPC practices charge patients and
employers low monthly fees for all primary care visits. DPC has
dramatically increased in popularity within the last few years, and is
commonly touted as a potential solution to the nation’s primary care
shortage.

“The American healthcare system is not sustainable, and primary care is
particularly in need of a radical transformation,” says Dr. Qamar. “At
MedLion, we don’t respect the status quo, so we work hard to change it.
We focus on extremely affordable rates to minimize insurance use,
technology to enhance telemedicine convenience, and offer unrivaled
patient experiences.”

Dr. Pouya Shafipour, a new MedLion provider in Santa Monica, California,
says after extensive research on concierge practices and direct pay
models, he ultimately decided to start a DPC practice with MedLion. “If
one wants to offer quality care, spend time with patients, and follow up
over the phone, there would not be reimbursement for the majority of
those services under insurance plans. Together (with MedLion) we are
appealing to employers and consumers, and are able to provide services
to patients,” remarks Dr. Shafipour, currently in private practice.

Michael Tetreault, Editor of Concierge Medicine Today and The Direct
Primary Care Journal, is asked if he sees promise with the DPC model of
healthcare. “Absolutely,” says Mr. Tetreault. “As doctors are
investigating and reviewing alternative business models, Direct Primary
Care is one that has gained the interest and support of a number of
doctors who are looking to change their revenue and service structure
for the future.”

Dr. David Berg, CEO of Arrowhead Health, a certified PCMH (Patient
Centered Medical Home) primary care network spread throughout Phoenix,
Arizona, agrees. “The current model of healthcare is ripe for innovation
and paradigm shifts that allow patients, employers and doctors to better
sidestep waste and inefficiencies. We just need to create systems and
use models that find it and make it usable. The Direct Primary Care
model does this.” Arrowhead Health is preparing to see MedLion patients
at all its Phoenix clinics.

What has caused MedLion to grow so quickly? Dr. Qamar explains.
“Employers are looking for ways to cover healthcare costs in light of
new federal mandates. Doctors are looking for a better way to practice
primary care, which is dangerously in short supply. Patients are looking
for improved access, affordability, and convenience. MedLion’s model
provides solutions for multiple challenges.”

Currently, MedLion is directly approaching employers in dozens of
states. The company aims to be in all 50 states within the next few
years, a goal being fueled by DPC’s inclusion in new healthcare
mandates, employers making active decisions about healthcare costs, and
doctors eager to join the DPC movement. Though currently self-funded,
Dr. Qamar says MedLion may be open to strategic investments in the
future to allow for even faster growth.

“It’s not easy improving our country’s healthcare system, but, it has to
be done. We have to start from the ground up. That’s where primary care
lays dormant, waiting for an opportunity like Direct Primary Care. At
MedLion, we recognize this opportunity,” says Dr. Qamar, “and we’re
already reinventing American healthcare.”

About MedLion Management, Inc. – MedLion was originally formed in 2009
in Monterey, California by Dr. Samir Qamar, the former house physician
for Pebble Beach Resorts, to create direct primary care access to the
community’s newly-unemployed. Today, in addition to focusing on the
uninsured, MedLion also reduces employer healthcare costs by including
Direct Primary Care in benefits plans for companies of all sizes.